The Sláintecare report was produced by a cross-party committee of TDs last year and adopted by the Dáil without a vote.

In contains a 10-year plan for the reform of the health service, transforming it from a mix of public and private care into “an affordable, universal, single-tier healthcare system, in which patients are treated promptly on the basis of need, rather than ability to pay”.

It recommended the separation of the public and private systems, and a greatly expanded public health service, underpinned by long-term commitments for substantial increases in funding. It promises increased efficiency, but acknowledged that the reforms would cost significantly more money.

Unlike other reports for health reform, it contained a clear path for implementation, with a specialist office to drive the programme and a chief executive supported by staff drawn mostly from outside the existing health system.